Codeine: The Academy Days
by ispaceyou
Summary: The first time McCoy met Christine Chapel was at Starfleet Academy, and she just happened to be one of his instructors. McCoy/Chapel
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Star Trek.

This is potentially the beginning to a long McCoy/Chapel story. Codeine is part 1 in a 4 part story. Each part with be related to each other. Some parts will be short while others will be much longer. Hopefully, I get to finish what I have planned to do. So far I have written bits and pieces for each story in this series.

I am not a writer by any means, just a graphic designer who is relieving stress. I have no beta, forgive my mistakes.

Rated T for language.

Enjoy!

* * *

McCoy was standing in his dorm room looking at a knocked out Jim. He shook his head and mumbled, "Who the hell gets wasted the night before classes start and then sleeps with a random woman and waits to find out the next morning that she has an angry husband. I should of left him on the curb."

He sighed and gave Kirk one of his precious hyposprays he _borrowed_ from the Academy clinic. A beeping sound came from McCoy's PADD and his eyes darted to the alert. His Trill Neurology class was starting right now, he couldn't remember the last time he was late to a class. It had to be in high school. McCoy groaned and looked at Jim with harsh eyes, "Dammit, Jim!"

He wasn't even dressed in his cadet uniform yet. He didn't even get a chance to shave. As Bones rushed to get dressed he eyes his razor and the glass of bourbon on the desk. He grabbed the glass instead, he was going to need it. Quickly, he fumbled around some more and ran out the door with his PADDs.

He made it to the auditorium and walked in. His instructor gave him a furrowed look, but even with her annoyance he noticed her blue eyes immediately. She looked like she wanted to reprimand him but thankfully she didn't and returned to her lecture. He swiftly scanned the room and couldn't find a single seat except for one in the very front. He sighed and sat there. McCoy looked at the woman again. Her slim and fit figure was attractive. He noticed some wisp of hair falling into her face and for some reason he had the strong desire to move the behind her ear. He scanned her again and his eyes rested on the pleasing form of her legs. A voice rising in volume brought his attention back to the lecture.

"Cadet? What's your name" McCoy looked up at the person speaking, it was the instructor. He sure as hell hoped she didn't notice where he was looking.

"Uh...Cadet McCoy, Leonard McCoy"

"I was going over the syllabus on file 23.45.7 on the server. I suggest you open it." She gave him a stern look, making her eyes look like ice, "I was going over the late policy, it says that if your going to be late you might as well not show up to class. The same goes for assignments. I have no tolerance for late work. Cadet McCoy, I will let you go this time, but in the future don't be late. "

McCoy felt anger flare up in his chest. He was a doctor, not some reckless cadet like Jim! He took a deep breath to calm himself, it wasn't worth arguing with an instructor to get a citation."Yes, understood."

She nodded, "Good."

McCoy looked for the syllabus on his PADD, he looked at the instructor's name on the top of the document. Lieutenant Christine Chapel. There was a small paragraph with her background. He read through it she had an extensive bio-research background and few degrees in various scientific fields. He looked at her credentials. She was a nurse. If there was anything he learned from all his years as a doctor it was to never piss off a nurse, and he had done just that.

The lecture became very engaging as Lieutenant Chapel talked about the neurotransmitters in the Trill brain. Chapel lectured in detail about the isoboramine transmitter of symbiont. It was probably the most enthralling lecture he had watched in a very long time. After the lecture, all the cadets got up to leave and he decided to approach Lieutenant Chapel about some interesting points. She gave him a cold look as he got closer to her. He definitely made a bad first impression.

"Lieutenant Chapel, don't you find it bizarre that even when a host and symbiont are separated both seem to die regardless of the health of both, but that a symbiont can die and yet the host can live on."

Chapel had a surprised look on her face.

"Yes, Cadet. I'm impressed. I didn't think you would be the type of person to have some knowledge on the subject. What are you specializing in?"

"I'm actually a doctor. I've had an interest in Trill neurology for quite some time. I've read some medical journals on the subject."

"Ah, I thought you looked too old to be a cadet. Where did you go to medical school?"

"Mississippi Medical."

Chapel's eyes widened slightly. "What was your full name again, Cadet?"

"Leonard McCoy."

"Wait a second. I was wondering why your name was so familiar. You had brilliant research on pheromones in Orions and their affects on telepathic beings. I was blown away with some of the theories that you came up with. After that I went though and read some of your other papers," she paused, blushing a bit about her confession and then wondering why he was standing in her classroom, " wait, why are you in Starfleet?"

McCoy sighed, he felt like everyone asked him that. It took him a moment to reply but he saw that Chapel's eyes seemed trusting, "I decided to join Starfleet because I had nothing left to lose ."

Lieutenant Chapel nodded her head. Curiosity and a sense of sympathy flashed through her eyes and she concluded not to pry, "Well, Cadet McCoy, I look forward to what you have to say about isoboramine transmitters in the next assignment. I have another class to lecture. Good day. "

She gave him a warm smile that lit up her eyes. For a moment, McCoy's heart rate accelerate. He watched her exit the room with a small smile on his lips. He hadn't felt something like that in a while. Hopefully, it was just because she had a pretty face. McCoy heard an alert and looked at his PADD and frowned. "Damn, not again."

He was already late to his next lecture. He gathered his things and started to run.

This was an interesting start to the semester.


	2. Chapter 2

Here is chapter 2! I felt some inspiration to write, and I'm really enjoying it. Hopefully, chapter 3 will be coming shortly.

Please leave a review and let me know what you think!

Also, once again no beta so pardon the errors.

Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Star Trek.

* * *

McCoy made it back to his quarters relieved that the first day of the semester was over. He some how managed to be late to every lecture; he cursed his luck. McCoy couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed at what occurred today. Maybe he felt stupid for feeling like a hormonal teenager in front of Lieutenant Chapel. Or maybe he felt annoyed by the fact that he couldn't stop thinking about her. The more he recalled the events in his mind the more pathetic he felt. He didn't say anything that made him feel ashamed, but the way she made him feel with just a few glances and a smile bothered him deeply. Even though he was angry when Chapel called him out in class, he actual admired that she stood her ground with him.

McCoy noticed that he was standing in front of his door. It slide open and he still saw Jim in the same position sleeping away.

"What an infant. Still passed out too"

He shook his head with disapproval. The man had practically been sleeping the whole day. McCoy went to his desk, grabbed the glass of bourbon, took a swig, walked over to Jim's sleeping form and poured it on his head.

Jim's eyes shot open and he let out a groan.

"What the hell? Bones! You could of woken me more gently. I thought you were a doctor or something. You could of given me a hypospray. Not bourbon to the face," Kirk tried to sit up quickly as he spoke," Ouch! My head it's pounding. You should take me to the hospital."

"Do you want to see how fast I can put you in a hospital? Stop whining. I'm the one who saved your ass from a seriously jealous man. Plus you would of been sleeping on the street the whole day if I didn't come for you."

Jim looked confused "The whole day?"

"Yeah, you missed the first day of classes," McCoy said bitterly.

"Well, everyone knows the first day you can skip anyways."

McCoy gave Kirk an unfazed look, "Yup, and how does becoming a captain in 3 years sound right about now? Oh, oh wait, I forgot you've been busy whoring around. Definitely the type of quality every captain in Starfleet should have."

Kirk made a fake wince that looked like he was physically in pain, "Ouch, you're really hurting my pride."

"Sure as hell I am."

"Bones, what's the deal? You seem to be brooding more than usual. There is something on your mind. I know it."

McCoy relaxed his shoulders as he let out a sigh. Jim was too intuitive for his liking. "Do you wonder how you made it back to the dorms?"

"Bones, you saved me, of course I know that."

"Well, getting you out of that situation cost me to be late to every damn class I had today."

"I see, but we both know that isn't the whole reason you're angry."

McCoy really hated to verbalize his deeper thoughts, but some how Jim was able to pull it out of him every time, "Fine. I met a woman she-"

Jim cut him off and gave him a knowing grin,"You want to sleep with her, don't you?"

McCoy felt angry, "Jim stop, I think you need to wait a moment for your blood to travel back up to your brain!"

"Alright, alright, alright, continue."

"She is actually an instructor."

He really regretted saying that and wanted to wipe that widening grin off Kirk's face.

"Bones, I like where you are going with this."

"It's not like that, Jim. I was late for her class and she reprimanded me for being late, and it makes me so irritated that her attractive face is still stuck in my head."

"Do you think she has a bad impression of you?"

"I think she did originally, but I talked to her after the lecture and she seemed impressed with my background. I guess she has even read some of my essays that I published a long time ago."

"Bones, that's great. She's a fan, use that to your advantage."

"No. I don't plan on doing anything about it. These emotions should leave soon. Besides, I would be breaking regulation if I were to do anything about it."

Jim snickered to himself, "That hasn't stopped me before. How old is she? Did you finally find yourself an attractive older woman?"

"Not at all. I know I'm older than her, but I know she is not as young as a cadet either."

"Wait, what is her name?"

"Christine Chapel."

Jim's eyes widened, "Wait, does she have blond hair?"

McCoy suddenly felt nervous, "Yes"

"Does she have blue eyes?"

"Yes."

"Is she a nurse?"

"Yes."

McCoy was not liking where this was going.

"Oh no, she is the older sister of Regina Chapel."

McCoy felt some relief but it was soon replaced with shock, "How do you know her younger sister?"

"What do you think, Bones?"

"You did not sleep with her little sister?"

"I was only 18 at the time, and I was always hanging around college campuses to meet new girls. I had a fling with her little sister who was going to the University of Iowa. One night I told Regina that I was not into committed relationships that I was sleeping with many other people at the time. I suggested that we end it, and I wasn't necessarily tact about it either.

I heard a knock on my door the next evening and Christine was at my doorstep. She just happened to be in town that weekend visiting her sister. She explained to me that I broke Regina's heart and that I was a predator hunting innocent girls and what not. I thought Christine was more attractive than her sister, so I suggested that we could have some 'fun.' Instead, she punched me in the nose and broke it! I still remember her cold blue eyes and the fury in her face. I don't think I have ever been so scared to see a pretty face like her's again."

McCoy couldn't help but laugh at the story and look on Jim's face, "Sounds like you deserved every bit of it. Finally, a woman with some sense."

Jim gave McCoy a frown, "She broke my nose!"

McCoy couldn't imagine a beautiful woman like Lieutenant Chapel making Jim cower in fear. He laughed some more, "Sound like I'll get along with her just fine. I guess her and I have more things in common now."

Jim gave a mock sense of betrayal, "You're siding with someone who broke my nose and scares the hell out of me?"

"Damn right."

"Either way don't tell her I'm your roommate."

"I can't keep promises."

Kirk gave him a weary look and walked to the bathroom to take a shower.

McCoy was left to his own thoughts. He felt even more intrigued by this new insight. Of course, Jim would have some sort of connect to every female on this planet. He felt some small excitement at the though of figuring Christine out.

McCoy walked over to his desk and sat down to look at his PADDs. He noticed a small notification. He just remembered that he had volunteered to take the night shift in the ER at Starfleet hospital.

He sighed. McCoy had been trying for the past semester to get a job moonlighting as a doctor on the weekends. The Academy was against it, but he had been wanting to keep his skills sharp. After pestering them, the board finally agreed on one condition, that he would only volunteer to take shifts at the Starfleet hospital and that he could only do so 2 times a week. He wasn't necessarily happy about it but he couldn't complain if that was the best situation he could get. They kept insisting that he was a cadet and needed to spend more time in his studies, but then again he was older and had plenty of degrees under his belt. Going to the Academy for him was more about brushing up on xenophysiology than learning basic medical techniques.

He gathered his things up and changed out of his cadet uniform into a standard Starfleet medical uniform. He heard Jim walk in the room.

"What? Your leaving already?"

"I have to go cover a shift at the hospital tonight."

"I wish I would have known earlier that you wouldn't be here tonight. I would of already had plans, but I some how managed to sleep the whole day."

"Do whatever you want, Jim. I really don't care. I just need to make it to the hospital on time."

McCoy gathered his things and walked out the door.


	3. Chapter 3

Here is chapter 3! Hope you like it. I really hope I can get the next 2 chapters up soon, but I am extremely busy with school!

Enjoy, and I love reviews!

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek

* * *

McCoy gave a sigh of relief. Thank God that his shift was over. The ER was usually very quite during his shifts, and he mostly just checked on patients. That changed drastically as Betazoids came in on gurneys who suffered from drowning. A couple was attempting to take a hologram selfie with their PADDs when one of them fell off the Golden Gate Bridge into the icy water. The other dived in to try and save the other. Sad part was neither of them didn't know how to swim. They were lucky people were around to save them. McCoy shook his head at the thought that people were stupid enough to risk their lives just to get a hologram.

The female was barely conscious and the male was not responsive. The team spent most of their time resuscitate the female. Sadly the female didn't mention to the staff that the male had Zanthi fever.

When they did resuscitate the male they all felt extreme anxiety and panic. Not only did that happen but even some of the staff had trouble breathing saying they felt like they were drowning. It took another 30 minutes to calm the whole staff down and another hypospray to get rid of the Zanthi fever.

It was unsettling to say the least. McCoy felt uncomfortable have emotions like that projected onto him. If drowning induced feelings like that, he was definitely not interested in swimming for awhile. It gave him some shivers thinking about it.

Leonard walked out of the hospital glad to smell the fresh ocean air coming in. He looked at his PADD for the time. It was 3 hours from the sun coming out. It was actually quite nice, and serene to see a city like San Francisco become quiet and peaceful at times like this. He started to walk back to his quarters at the Academy. This walk usually gave him time to reflect and meditate. It was a time where he didn't have to worry about others and Kirk. It was a moment of time just for himself.

He never imagined that his life would of turned out this way. As a kid he had a dream of becoming a professional basketball player, but his father inspired him to become a doctor. If he could be half the man his dad was he would feel proud. He never had a desire to join Starfleet. He thought his whole life was planned out and that he would live to an old rip age, retire and live in a small house with his own orchard in Georgia. That just maybe he would have had time when he was old to perfect making his own home brewed whiskey.

Nope that dream was now dust. That was a different McCoy and a different life. He sighed. He thought that he was over his divorce but if he was being honest with himself, it has affected him more than he anticipated. He was now more closed off emotionally than ever before and couldn't push away feelings of bitterness that would creep up on him as he laid on his bed each night. Anger started to grow in his chest. He was angry that he couldn't be a better father. He was angry that he couldn't see His daughter, Joanna. He was angry at his ex for taking the whole damn planet. He was angry that he didn't see it coming. He was angry that he hadn't tried hard enough to fix everything. The painful aching started to spread like a wildfire in his chest. The guilt and regret started to loom over him.

Maybe his anger was just a cover up for his emotional trauma and pain? He hated playing his own therapist and admitting these things to himself. He looked up at the sky wishing there was an answer written in the stars. Bones had the rest of his life to analyze his mistakes. He was too busy to worry about solving his past. He just needed to focus on getting out of the Academy, work, or how he would save Kirk's hide next weekend. Now he had time to work on research again and publish a journal. _Maybe he would start dating again?_ He shook his head in disbelief at the thought. He was by no means ready for any serious relationships. He just couldn't give himself fully to anyone for awhile. He was happy not dealing with commitments like that for a long time. His desire to emotionally support another human being was not there, and in turn he did not want to be emotionally vulnerable with someone else.

He sighed.

He was tired of analyzing himself and he could feel how tired his eyes were getting. As McCoy approached a crosswalk d he saw a person on the other side of the street, but couldn't get a good look at them. The walk signal was on but two hover cars were coming by. A red hover cycle was turing the corner extremely fast and McCoy could hear the brakes screech as the vehicle tried to stop. Bones didn't need to be a physicist to know that there was no way they were going to stop safely.

The driver over estimate and ended up hitting the building across the street. With the impact he saw two bodies fly for 20 feet and then skid on the ground. It was a surreal moment. He couldn't believe his eyes. They looked like two Terran males and both weren't wearing helmets. Blood started to fill his vision as he started to focus on them. The first thought that went through his mind was that they needed his help. All of a sudden he ran to them without a second thought. He was going into doctor mode. He needed to save their lives and he could help them have a chance to live. As he got closer to both of them he could tell that they both had many lacerations. He had no dermal regenerator, tricorder, or hyposprays on him. He was going to have to use good old-fashioned medical techniques. He knelt down and assessed the man right in front of him he obviously had fractures in both his femurs, he was not conscious but had ragged breaths. His body hadn't gone into shock yet. He continued to scan and the most dangerous looking thing about him was the deep cut that was pulsating blood from his upper thigh. Something must of cut his femoral artery. McCoy quickly ripped off a huge part of his shirt and made a tourniquet around the man's upper thigh. The bleeding still continued and he cursed because the man could bleed out in a matter of seconds. He started to feel fear for the man's life. _What was he going to do?_ He did not have the tools to control this kind of bleed. He cursed again.

You need to apply more pressure to that artery! It's the only way"

McCoy looked up in shock. It was Lieutenant Chapel and she was leaning over the other injured man and dressing his wounds with some torn cloth from her shirt, "Doctor! Do it!"

He looked at her. Her steady confident look made him move into action. The blood started to flow less, but the wound was still pulsating a steady flow under his hand. The man only had minutes to live.

"Lieutenant Chapel, I need you to call an ambulance. Tell them-"

"I already did it. Don't worry, focus! I'll take care of this one. The ambulance should be arriving anytime now."

Mccoy continued to examine his patient. He repeatedly assessed for signs of shock. He silently hoped that the Terran would not go into shock it would only make the situation more dangerous. He used all his strength to use pressure on the bleeding wound. He was not trained to be a trauma doctor. His residency was in family practice and xenoneurology. He was not use to high stress situations. He used all his mental and physical strength on keeping the man in front of him alive.

The man who Chapel was working on made a small gasp.

She spoke, "He's regaining consciousness."

The man's eyes shot open as his pupil dilated pupils shrunk and panic filled his face. McCoy was ready to start explaining the situation to the man but Chapel opened her mouth first.

"Sir, everything is going to be alright"

The conscious man looked over at his friend and started to hyperventilate,"I need you to remain calm and do not move, your friend will be alright. He is in good hands. Let's focus on keeping your breathing steady. An ambulance will be here soon and both of you will be fine."

The man started to calm down and focused on breathing evenly and slowly.

McCoy was impressed, he never had good bedside manner. He would of made the patient have a panic attack. He could tell that her kindness was genuine, and he definitely didn't have that gift. He admired her for having a gentleness about her.

Within 2 minutes he could hear the sirens a block away. Before he knew it a team of medics were rushing to his side. He looked at them and addressed them, "I'm Doctor Leonard McCoy. This man has a huge laceration on his upper thigh. His femoral artery has been cut. I need you to get a vascular regenerator immediately, and prepare 3 units of blood."

The team of medics didn't question him. One went to grab the necessary supplies, while the rest of the team stayed and assessed the two injured men with tricorders. They started to give hyposprays to both of the men. The tricorder showed that both of them were in critical condition. The medic ran back with a vascular regenerator in hand but had trouble turning the regenerator on.

"Damn it, man! We need to use this now!"

Chapel quickly grabbed the device from the speechless medics' hand and spoke as she used the vascular regenerator on the bleeding man, "I'm Nurse Christine Chapel, I'm fully trained to use this device."

The beam from the regenerator started to close the wound and the bleeding stopped. Finally, McCoy was able to release the pressure from the man's leg and take the bloodied makeshift tourniquet off.

McCoy spoke, "Thank God."

He gave Chapel a grateful look, and she gave him a relieved one as the medics loaded the man on a gurney and put him in the ambulance. She walked towards a medic who wanted to ask her some quick questions. He watched them briefly and then approached her.

"-a fracture to his tibia, and his hip is out of socket. His lacerations aren't too detrimental to his health. I hope that helps."

The medic spoke "Thanks, Nurse Chapel, for your help," he saw McCoy approaching,"you as well, Doctor. They should be in stable condition soon. Farewell"

"The medic returned to the ambulance and it drove away. All that was left at the scene were a few police officers assessing what happened and a crew of people to clean up the mess. McCoy looked down at himself half his shirt was gone, and he was covered in red blood. Quite frankly he looked like hell.

"I never thought I would see you at this hour, or like this!"

Mccoy looked up at who was talking. Chapel looked just as bad as him. She has blood and dirt on her. Her hair was disheveled and part of her stomach showed where she had ripped her shirt. McCoy wanted to stare longer at the beautifully exposed skin, but he forced his eyes up to hers.

"You are definitely the last person I expected to see."

She chuckled, "I was just walking to Starfleet hospital. I work there most of the time. I only teach part time, it keeps up-to-date with the research world."

"I literal just left the hospital. I take shifts a couple times a week in the ER. Usually, the night shifts."

"I wonder why I haven't seen you walking before today? I'm always at the shift change."

"Maybe it's because we didn't know each other until a couple hours ago."

"Perhaps. Doctor, you did really great today. I was literally across the street from you and was about to say hello when the accident happened and you were at their sides within seconds."

"Well, I couldn't have done it alone. You did call an ambulance and help the other patient until the medics arrived."

Right as Chapel started to speak an officer approached them and started to question them about the accident. They divulged the small amount of information they knew.

"McCoy, I have to go to my shift at the hospital, I'm extremely late. I'll go and check on those 2 patients. I'll let you know how they are doing next class."

"Thanks, Lieutenant Chapel."

"Don't worry about calling me Lieutenant Chapel when we are off duty. I'm Christine."

He made a small chuckle, "You can call me Leonard then."

She made a small smile, "Ok then, _Len_ , have a good day."

She waved and walked away. He laughed at the nickname he was given, only his grandmother called him that.

Mccoy just stood there thinking. _What just happened and why did he find her smile so beautiful even though she was a mess?_

He continued his walk home wearing tattered clothes with blood all over it. He was lucky no one saw him the rest of his walk back to his quarters.

He made it to his quarters and Jim was gone. _Typical._ Well, on the plus side he didn't have to worry about him until tomorrow. He went to the bathroom and took a shower to wash off the blood and dirt that was caked on him.

It had been an especially interesting day for sure. McCoy was not expecting to run into Lieutenant Chapel again in the space of 24 hours. The next time he would see her again would be at the end of the week when he had his Trill neurology class. He wondered what she would tell him about those patients. He hoped that they were in stable condition now.

He sighed. Got out of the shower and changed into standard Starfleet grey shorts and blue boxers. The walk to his bed couldn't come soon enough as he laid down on the mattress without going under the covers. He was exhausted and drifted into a dreamless sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

_Sorry about the slow update. I have been busy the last months finishing up college. Hopefully I can update more soon. I have plenty of things written, but they need to be edited._

 _Forgive my typos and errors. I hope to find time to go through and edit everything._

 _Enjoy!_

 _Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek._

* * *

Two days had passed. Only two. Yet for some reason McCoy felt anxious to go to his Trill Neurology class again. He had to tell himself it wasn't because he was excited to see Lieutenant Chapel. _Right?_

Jim had been winding him up the past 48 hours about his "chance" encounter with her. He shook his head thinking about it.

He looked at his feet as he walked down the hallway to his first class this morning. Trill neurology. He was determined as hell to not make the same mistake twice. He reached the room 15 minutes early and no one was there. He let out a sigh slightly hoping he would have some time to talk to Chapel before class. He sat down in his spot in the front where he was last time. Might as well keep it. He wasn't scared of Chapel, he was intrigued.

McCoy set down his bag and took out his PADDs. He took one in his hands and looked at a new alert. It was a message. He felt anxious when he read the name. Joanna, Time 0700. The current time was 0820. He opened it immediately. How could he be so distracted this morning and not have read it yet?

 _*Dad,_

 _I am now 6 years old. I'm going to be a grown up soon. So you better visit me soon._

 _At school this week a boy kissed me on the cheek because he said that's what happens when it's your birthday. I was so scared because Nanny told me that you can become pregnant from kissing. I started to cry. Mom found out she laughed at me but I was so scared. She told me a yucky thing and I never want to have kids or be married. I want to grow up to be an cool doctor._

 _Thanks for sending me a present for my birthday. I really love my new stuffed unicorn. I named her Bessy after Grandma Julie's horse. Remember when we rode horses last summer? Can we do that again?_

 _I really want to see you soon. I'm afraid I'll forget how you look. So send me a picture. Ok?_

 _Mommy said I should send you a photo of me because I'm older now._

 _Joanna*_

Leonard stared at the screen in shock. A boy already took her first kiss? She was only 6 years old! He felt irritated that a small boy did that to his daughter. The questions started to accumulate in his mind as he read the message over again.

Why did her nanny tell her that kissing makes people pregnant? Why didn't she hear about that from Jocelyn? For a moment he felt annoyance towards his ex-wife. He sighed. At least Joanna wasn't into romance or the idea of marriage yet.

Attached to the message was a photo of a young girl with light brown hair in a neat braid. Her eyes looked exactly like his own and she had all her teeth except for one that was missing in the front. Pride swelled in McCoy's chest as he looked at the picture, but was followed by an aching pain because he really did miss his daughter.

He went to touch the reply button, and was at lose as to how to respond. Joanna made him feel an array of emotions all within 3 minutes. He was definitely going insane.

"Cadet McCoy?"

Leonard instantly set down his PADD and looked up. He felt the obnoxious butterflies start to flutter in his stomach. The feeling grew and he tried his best to ignore it. Christine had a gentle smile on her face. She looked slightly tired but she was still radiant.

For some reason he couldn't think of what to say. Instead he nodded with a small smile mirroring her own.

"Why are you here so early? Class starts at 0835."

"I would hardly constitute 10 minutes as too early?"

Her gentle facial expression remained the same,"I'm happy you took my advice last class to heart," she paused for a moment and gave his a questioning look, " Are you trying to become a teacher's pet? Do you have a bad GPA and need an A in this class?"

For a moment he wanted to respond with some irritation but he could tell she was teasing him. He had to admit that he liked that she was giving him a hard time. He wasn't going to let her win this.

"No, I wanted to show up early so you could tell me about those patients."

Chapel's face changed and she blushed in embarrassment, "Oh, I can't believe I forgot. Sorry about that. They are doing fine. They were stable and on the way to recovery when I last saw them."

McCoy was relieved, "Good."

It was quite for a few seconds and then a few students started to walk into the classroom and Lieutenant Chapel looked at McCoy, "I really have to get set up for the lecture."

She turned around quickly then turned to face him again as if recalling something "Can I discuss something with you after class?"

"Of course." McCoy tried his best not to smile he didn't want to seem too eager, but he would be lying if he didn't say he was pleased.

Christine walked away and set her PADDs on a desk. McCoy stared at her as she focused on prepping for her lecture. As he examined her face more he realized that she was really attractive. He wondered how old she was. Maybe she was 25 but not much older than that. He was 29 so that wasn't too big of a difference if that was her age.

It dawned on him that he literally knew nothing about her yet he had this fixation on her for the last five days. It was uncharacteristic of him to think of a woman that frequently. The auditorium continued to fill up as he silently stared at her.

The lecture started and it was very insightful in the fact that it theorized the origins and evolutions of Trills. Chapel also did an in-depth analysis of the chemical composition of Trills. A joined trill has two cerebral nuclei that have two different wave length patterns that work like two connected computers. Insect bites could be so detrimental to the host and symboinant because the venom disrupts that connection which could lead to death of both the host and syboinant. Lieutenant Chapel was very thorough in her explanations and reasonings.

"Don't forget your assignment is due today by midnight. Make sure you read the next chapter on common Trill diseases and sickness. There will be a quiz next time."

All the cadets rose and started to walk to their next classes. McCoy was lucky he dropped his next class for the semester. He could now talk to Lieutenant Chapel without worrying about his schedule.

He walked over to Chapel as she was gathering her PADDs. She looked up and had welcoming eyes. "Was that lecture interesting enough, Cadet?"

"Of course. I had no idea insect bites could cause that type of reaction? I wonder if there is a comprehensive study on the types of insects and which planets they originate."

"I know there was research that a Doctor M'Benga started but it would be hard to cover every insect. Maybe the Federation planets would be a good place to start?"

"Agreed, that would be one hell of a challenge."

Chapel smiled, "I have to walk to my next class that starts in 15 minutes but we can discuss this more as we walk."

She gathered her PADDs and they started to walk down the hall and discuss the topic more in-depth.

As they walked McCoy spotted Jim down the hall. Kirk squinted his eyes as he looked at who McCoy was talking to. After Kirk stared long at the woman a dawning of realization appeared on his face and he almost turned around to walk away. Instead, McCoy felt like making Jim run for his money and shouted his name, "Jim! Come on over here."

Christine stopped and looked at the person McCoy was waving and yelling at. Irritation started to become visible, but she instantly put on a professional face. She was after all still an instructor. Kirk started to walk towards them hesitantly. Even though Christine's face was professional he felt like her eyes said that she had a vendetta for him.

McCoy wanted to laugh but remained neutral as he saw Jim's face. Jim looked like a nervous schoolboy who was avoiding getting flogged by a wooden paddle.

"Jim, we should go get a drink after classes are over today."

Jim was avoiding looking at Chapel. Leonard felt pleasure at making him squirm. " We should. I need one."

"Oh, Jim I forgot this is Lieutenant Chapel."

Christine spoke first, "Kirk and I have met before but not on very favorable terms, but the past is the past." Her eyes became ice as she finished the sentence.

Kirk had a feeling that McCoy was really enjoying this as he eyed him with a smug smirk. He may have felt extremely uncomfortable but he was going to turn this around and get away from the judging gaze of Christine Chapel.

Jim's face became more relaxed as mischievousness began to fill his eyes, "Yes we didn't meet under the best circumstances but I am truly sorry. I'll be heading to my next class. Make sure you don't take Bones on any shuttle rides anytime soon. He has extreme aviophobia. _Extreme._ Trust me I know."

Kirk winked at Bones as payback and walked down the hall. Leonard felt some embarrassment and anger at his friend giving away one of his biggest weaknesses. He looked over at Christine's face which was confused about what just happened and then spoke.

"Is he joking about the aviophobia thing? I don't if know I can trust what Kirk has to say."

McCoy's mouth felt dry, "Uh-no he wasn't."

Christine nodded her head and you could she the sparkle in her eye as she found it amusing. "I would have never thought that you would be terrified of flying in shuttles?"

He felt dread at her wanting to know, "Oh, trust me it's a long tale to tell."

"I bet. I guess you will have to tell me another time."

As they walked Christine stopped in front of a classroom, "Well, this is my stop."

Right as Christine was about to turn around she hesitated and turned to him, "I'm currently working on a funded bio-research project for Starfleet. The Academy has given me permission to hire an assistant researcher to the project. I was wondering if you would be interested in a project like that." She paused for a moment and started to blush, "I actually decided to ask you because I was hoping to learn more from you than the other way around. I could discuss the project in more detail on the weekend. We could get a drink and I could give you more details about it."

Chapel's face looked so hopeful and McCoy had no desire to piss her off or see her icy cold gaze ever directed at him again. He felt excitement at the thought of spending time with her alone. He responded almost too eagerly. He was flattered actually.

"I'm very interested. When and where?"

Christine's face lit up with excitement, " How about next Wednesday at 1300? We could meet at Commonwealth?"

McCoy smirked, she had good taste, "That works fine for me."

She waved her hand and walked in the room. McCoy stood there for a moment smiling to himself like and idiot. He was pleased with the turn of events.

* * *

The rest of the day was normal for McCoy. When Bones walked into his dorm he saw Kirk actually studying.

He spoke "I'm shocked that you are even here."

"Like you said if I want to become a captain in 2 1/2 years, I have to do some studying, Bones. I'm not always cheating my way through classes. Also, why did you have to talk to me when you were with Christine?"

"Jim, have you ever heard about, an eye for an eye? That was for all those times I had to save you from near death experiences."

"Whatever. I hope you had fun explaining to Lieutenant Chapel why you have aviophobia."

"Luckily, I didn't have to. She asked me if I wanted to be her research assistant, and we are going to talk about it next week."

"You weren't stupid enough to say no, right?"

"Of course not. I'm genuinely interested in the position. Being a full-time doctor the last couple years didn't let me have a chance to do as much research as I wanted. It's a good opportunity."

"Definitely a good opportunity." Kirk gave him a knowing look. Bones saw his double meaning.

"Enough talking didn't you say you were actually studying?"

"Alright, but you know I'm going to keep pestering you about any woman you are interested in."

"I wouldn't say I'm interested. I just want to get to know her."

"Same thing, Bones."

McCoy sighed, and set his stuff on his desk. He sat down and picked up a PADD. He opened it and saw that he forgot to message Joanna. It was already the end of the day. He internally chastised himself for forgetting. He ran his hand through his hair trying to think of a way to even respond.

*Joanna,

I'm so happy that you are doing well. Make sure you don't let any other boys kiss you. Tell them your Dad will have to talk to them if they do.

We will have to ride horse again, but I have no idea when. I promise I will see you in the future.

Remember to listen to your mom and study hard in school.

Thanks for sending me the picture. Here is one of me.

I love you,

Dad*

McCoy sighed he didn't even know if that was a good response. He didn't think that he was that great of a father.

His finger hovered over the send button he hesitated for a moment and pushed it.

He looked at Kirk who was studying, "Hey, Jim remember how I said how we should get drinks earlier?"

"Yeah."

"Want to go?"

"Yes, its better than this textbook on the Kobayashi maru."


End file.
